CIES-2021 Film Festivalette Program vCIES 2021 Spaces of Education Film Festivalette: Empathy and Activism for Social Responsibility April 25th – May 9th, 2021 Only radical empathy can save the world. ¨ (King, 2015) The seventh edition of the CIES 2021 Education Film Festivalette, created and funded by the Open Society Foundations’ Education Program, showcases two feature-length fiction and six documentary films from around the world that explore the connections between empathy, activism and social responsibility. It includes award- winning content from The Middle East, North Asia, West Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. While the program reflects a broad understanding of education as an undertaKing that goes beyond formal schooling, these films raise questions relevant to teaching empathy and activism including: How can we promote empathy through our pedagogies? How can empathy translate from the micro, meso, and macro- levels of society? Should educators be activists? Empathy is critical for a deeper and expanded notion of social responsibility. As empathy develops so does awareness of our interdependence with fellow human and non-human species. There are different types of empathy. One form is cognitive and involves our ability to ¨put ourselves in another´s shoes¨. This is often referred to as perspective-taking. Another form of empathy is affective and involves compassion or feeling with and in others’ joys and sufferings. Deeper more radical forms of empathy spur individuals to take action and advance the welfare of others. In many contexts, a combination of these forms of empathy (cognitive, emotional, radical) is necessary for a deeper and sustainable social responsibility. The romantic drama Hikari (Radiance) from master Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase conveys the difficult struggle to truly understand someone else’s experience. The movie reveals the lesson that in loss we can sometimes find a deeper, more profound beauty. In the documentary, This is Home: a Refugee Story we witness the plight of Syrian refugee families in the USA as they assimilate the harsh realities and opportunities of the American dream. In the dramatic comedy Wallay we travel to Burkina Faso to witness the crucial role of family in shaping character and responsibility. In the authentic documentary El Sembrador (The Sower), we are immersed in the day-to-day transformative power of a compassionate teacher in a rural school in Chiapas, Mexico. In the inspiring documentary Kun Koulu Vapautui Vankilasta (When School Broke out of Prison), we follow a community’s process to save a rural school from closing. In the documentary Espero tua Revolta (Your Turn) we are immersed in the BraZilian student youth movement to defend the right to education. In California, young girls of color are empowered in a troupe to promote social inclusion in the progressive documentary We are the Radical Monarchs. And in Mayor, the leader of Ramallah supports the people of his city, peacefully resisting Israeli occupation and international policy, while working across national lines to foster empathy and compassion for their plight. The Virtual Festivalette will launch April 25th, 2021, when the CIES Conference begins, and will extend beyond the Conference until May 9th, 2021. All screenings will take place online via the Festival Scope Platform. It can be accessed through a private link in the Conference Hub or via private mailing for CIES Members and special guests. 1 CIES-2021 Film Festivalette Program You can see the films during the timeframe they are available. Most of the films can be accessed from anywhere in the world! All films have English subtitles, with additional subtitles in other languages when available. Please note that access to the Festivalette is restricted and SHOULD NOT BE SHARED due to the film´s distribution rights restrictions. ThanK you. Live Zoom Panels We will host four live panel discussions which include film director Q & A’s (when available), and explore the film’s themes and their relevance for education with special guests. The panels will taKe place the week AFTER the CIES Conference from 8am to 9am PDT time: - Tuesday, May 4th: Rural and Community Education in Mexico and Finland (Films “El Sembrador” and “When School Broke out of Prison”). - Wednesday May 5th: Refugee Education in the USA and beyond (Films “This is Home: A Refugee Story” and “Mayor”). - Thursday May 6th: Student Activism and Education (Films “We are the Radical Monarchs” and “Espero tua Revolta”) - Friday May 7th: Empathy and Education (Films “HiKari” and “Wallay”) Please checK the website for details and updates. We hope to see you there to discuss the films’ relevance for education! All live panels will be recorded and uploaded to the private Festivalette site, where CIES Members can access them during the Festival. Films 1. Feature Film: Hikari (Radiance) (2017), Fiction Drama, Japan, Directed by Naomi Kawase [101 minutes], in Japanese, with English SuBtitles. French suBtitles also availaBle. Renowned Japanese auteur Naomi Kawase’s lyrically beautiful film reawaKens our sense of wonder at our human experience and our human connection to one another in a moving love story. The story revolves around the relationship between MisaKo, a young video transcriber of films for the visually impaired who meets NaKamori, a famous photographer who is losing his eyesight. She struggles to put herself in his shoes, and of those she writes for, failing often and having to try harder. He cooks for them in his apartment, and, as she grabs his salt and pepper shakers, she asks him: “How do you know which is which?” To which he replies: “Don’t touch them!” Their relationship becomes closer as he pushes her towards deeper empathy and as they both struggle with loss and the challenge of reinventing their worlds. Kawase delicately encourages us to see and experience life in a different way. It’s also an ode to impermanence, loss and love. While sand slips through her fingers, she 2 CIES-2021 Film Festivalette Program thinks: “Nothing is more beautiful than what disappears before our eyes.” This film escapes the confines of a traditional review. It is truly hard to describe and must be experienced. A film to see and resee. Naomi Kawase grew up in rural Japan. She won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes for “The Mourning Forest” (2007). Her other highly lauded films include “Still the Water” (2014) and “Sweet Bean” (2015). “A plea for empathy, the capacity and readiness to put oneself in someone else’s shoes.” Awards Daily “It is through poetry that this masterpiece inspires a broadening of the mind to understand others better.” Ecumenical Jury, Cannes Film Festival PriZe Winner Ecumenical Jury PriZe, Cannes Film Festival 2. Feature Film: This is Home: A Refugee Story (2018), Documentary, USA, Directed by Alexandra Shiva [91 minutes] in English & Arabic, with English Subtitles. How long would you need “to acclimate” if you started over with your family in a new country with a new language and new customs? This masterfully crafted documentary takes us into the fascinating day-to-day intimacy of the “re-education process” of four Syrian refugee families from their arrival in Baltimore, USA, through their eight-month journey to “self- sufficiency” from the assistance provided by the International Rescue Committee. Though movingly conveyed, the trauma they bring with them is not at the centerpiece of their at times difficult, at times humorous, struggle to adapt. A female IRC worker tells them (stretching out her hand): “In America we always shake hands.” To which one of the Syrian men replies (in Arabic, to his friend): “I can’t. It’s forbidden.” The relearning of cultural norms needed to adapt and survive in America tests their hard-won resilience. The kids too, must adapt and be well in their new school despite their nightmares (the school provides therapy support). This film offers us a bridge into the humanity of refugee families and, ultimately, reminds us of the power of friendship and community across cultural divides. The American dream is built from the ground up. Don’t miss it! “Stirring… makes a heartening call for open-armed empathy.” Variety “An intense, yet uplifting documentary that shows refugees in a humane light." The Arab WeeKly Winner of the Audience Award, World Cinema Documentary, Sundance Film Festival Alexandra Shiva is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and producer. Her film Bombay Eunuch (2001) won several awards including Best Documentary at New YorK´s LGBT Film Festival. Her film How to Dance in Ohio (2015) was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. 3 CIES-2021 Film Festivalette Program 3. Feature Film: Wallay (2017), Fiction Dramatic Comedy, BurKina Faso, Directed by Berni Goldblat [84 minutes], in French and Dioula, with English Subtitles. French and Spanish subtitles also available. In this documentary-style fictional coming-of-age story, Ady, a rowdy, rule breaking 13 year-old growing up in France, is sent on vacation to Burkina Faso, his father’s homeland. In this unique West African, rural and Muslim cultural context, Ady’s expectations of daily life (like electricity and hot water) are challenged. His beliefs of what becoming a man entails are deeply shaken and he is pushed to repair past wrongs to his own family. His grandmother’s love is a comforting and transformative haven from his uncle’s severity. His attractive cousin of similar age, translates into French what his grandmother says in Dioula: “She wants to throw the cowry shells for you, look into your heart. You have to think about what you want, real hard.” His grandma continues: “My Little Hubby, one day you’ll be a man of your word. And you’ll shine like the sun.” This film provides a perceptive, often humorous, window into the dynamics and tensions of multicultural, multigenerational family and its crucial role in shaping character and responsibility.